Amgen Emerges as New Contender in Weight-Loss Drug Race with Monthly MariTide Injection

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry DynamicsOn May 6, the entire weight-loss drug sector experienced a significant rise, with closing prices of companies including Kingchem (Liaoning) Life Science Co., Ltd., CQP, and Apeloa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. all increasing by more than 5%.
 

In terms of news, during the May Day holiday, Amgen's new weight-loss drug MariTide achieved positive data in its mid-term trial, and its frequency of use will be significantly lower than that of Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly's weight-loss drugs.
 

According to a small early study, patients who received monthly injections of MariTide lost 14.5% of their body weight within 12 weeks, and some maintained the weight loss for up to 150 days after discontinuing the drug. For reference, the weight loss effect of Wegovy in 12 weeks is approximately 6%.
 

In addition, Amgen's drug is an antibody-drug conjugate, a type of molecule more commonly used in targeted cancer therapy. One part of the drug is an antibody that blocks the GIP receptor, while the other part consists of two peptides that mimic a gut hormone called GLP-1. The antibody component of the drug allows it to remain in the body longer than the injections from Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly’s weight-loss medications.
 

Currently, although MariTide is in the mid-stage of research and has not yet been submitted for regulatory approval, Amgen is already investing in building production capacity.
 

Following this news, Amgen's shares rose over 14% before the opening of the U.S. stock market on Friday. Novo Nordisk, which owns the weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, saw its share price drop by 4.02% on Thursday, and it fell another 2.48% before the market opened on Friday. Additionally, Eli Lilly’s shares also declined on Thursday.
 

This news also quickly sparked a new round of market attention on weight-loss drugs.
 

Recently, it is also the disclosure period for the first-quarter financial data of 2024 for major pharmaceutical companies. Eli Lilly and Company announced its first-quarter performance of 2024 on April 30 local time, with revenue of 8.768 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 26%; net profit was 2.243 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 67%.
 

It is reported that the revenue growth of Eli Lilly and Company was mainly driven by four products: Mounjaro, Zepbound, Verzenio, and Jardiance. Among them, Mounjaro is the diabetes version of the once-weekly GLP-1/GIP dual agonist Tirzepatide, which was launched in the United States in May 2022. In 2022, this drug generated $483 million in revenue for Eli Lilly, and in 2023, its revenue surged significantly, contributing $5.16 billion to Eli Lilly. Zepbound is the weight-loss version of Tirzepatide, which was approved for weight management in the United States on November 8, 2023, generating $176 million in revenue in 2023. Industry experts predict that the weight-loss version Zepbound is expected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue in its first full sales year after launch.
 

Driven by GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) drugs, Eli Lilly and Company raised its full-year guidance, increasing its 2024 revenue forecast by $2 billion to a range of $42.4 to $43.6 billion.
 

In terms of production capacity, Eli Lilly mentioned in its Q1 report that it would continue to expand its manufacturing capabilities, with a significant increase in output expected in the second half of 2024.
 

According to reports, since the second quarter, Eli Lilly has been actively expanding its production capacity. At the beginning of April, Eli Lilly held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new factory in Frankfurt, Germany. This factory will mainly be used for the production of injectable drugs and injection pens, with an investment of 2.5 billion US dollars, aiming to address the shortage of drugs including Zepbound.
 

On April 22 local time, Eli Lilly and Company announced another agreement with Nexus Pharmaceuticals, a sterile drug manufacturer, to acquire one of its plants, which is expected to begin production by the end of 2025. Although Eli Lilly did not confirm whether the plant is related to GLP-1 drugs, due to the tight capacity of GLP-1, the industry generally associates it with GLP-1 drugs.
 

At the same time, competition over the expansion of indications for weight-loss drugs is underway. On April 17, Eli Lilly announced positive results from the Phase III SURMOUNT-OSA clinical trial of Tirzepatide for the treatment of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) combined with obesity. Compared with placebo, Tirzepatide injection (10mg or 15mg) significantly reduced the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) in participants, achieving the primary endpoint.
 

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